In Your Arms (I Could Take on the World)
by JuniorWoofles
Summary: Or 5 People Who Knew Chekov and Sulu were the Cutest Thing on the Enterprise and the One Time They Figured It Out For Themselves. Originally posted on AO3


1\. Kirk was proud of his crew. At this point in their five year mission they felt more like a family. 'It was nice,' Kirk reflected. 'To have a family.' He didn't want to say he was like an overbearing mother hen of his crew, if anyone that was Spock who could worry for the best of them, but he knew Spock would infer (probably with one raised eyebrow) that he worried and mothered his crew more than Spock did and Kirk knew that his husband was right. (Even if he wouldn't admit that to anyone, least of all Spock; no one needed to know that the captain of the Starship Enterprise was nothing more than a protective mother hen). Between the two of them they were the overbearing, concerned parents who were far too invested in the lives of their crew. They were together in everything and it really was their ship, their crew and their family.

In his head, during routine days when he just had to sit and oversee the daily running of the Enterprise, Kirk let his mind wander. He wouldn't tell anyone (though he suspected they all had done this at some point or another) but he categorised his senior crew and closest friends into real-life family member designations.

McCoy was his brother - always nagging him and ranting about his health and Spock's but he really did care even if he was gruff sometimes. He was the closest confidant and friend Kirk had and he sometimes wondered if McCoy saw him as an irritable yet loved younger brother sometimes.

That then made Marcus his sister-in-law or the close equivalent of at any rate. She was a lot softer towards him than Leonard was and treated him with nothing short of the respect his position demanded. But she was familiar with him and joked about with him and she made him special cake for his birthday. She also talked them both down when McCoy and Kirk went off on angry tangents and refused to speak to each other. She was a sweet, pretty sister and Kirk couldn't be more grateful to have a sister like that to keep him grounded.

Scotty was either an eccentric brother or cousin, Kirk couldn't quite decide. Or maybe Uhura was more like his sister which made Scotty akin to a brother-in-law. That kind of worked best, Kirk figured. He was the crazy one in the family who would drink him under the table if given the chance and then kill him when he refused to hand over the painkillers because it was all Scotty's fault. Scotty also followed him respectfully but was always ready to call him out on his bullshit. Scotty was a bit like McCoy in that aspect: fiercely loyal but smart enough to know when Kirk needed a metaphorical slap across the face. Or a physical one.

Uhura was the sensible sister who could communicate with him in more than words despite her extensive knowledge of languages. One raised eyebrow, one twitch of the cheek, one half-smile and they understood each other explicitly. She was his consoler, his brain, the first in line to slap him and first in line to run to hug him. She'd be at his side with a hot drink of whatever he needed most at that minute without being asked. She just knew him and understood him.

If Uhura was his brain then Spock was his heart. Well maybe Spock was more logic than emotions but he was the person that Kirk loved most fiercely on his entire ship. He was unrelenting and faithful, idiotic and irritable, bloody handsome and a solid presence at his side. 'Forever and always,' Kirk thought as he twirled the platinum band around his finger.

Chekov, he supposed, was a little bit like their son. Because of his young age they were especially protective of the navigator. He loved with all of his heart and this went for the crew, his job, his tangents on physics that only Scotty could really keep a track of, and his Sulu.

That made Sulu like a second son. He was smart and loyal and protective, of no one more so than Chekov. He went out of his way to make Chekov comfortable and happy and loved and he was devoted to in return. Like a proud older generation they made Kirk and his family smile at their various antics.

Today they were exchanging shy, happy smiles every few minutes and were bantering casually, borderline flirtatiously. Kirk looked at them fondly, remembering his own honeymoon phase when he wanted to have Spock next to him at all times and make vague innuendos to see if he could get any reaction out of him.

No one actually knew for sure how long Chekov and Sulu had been together. McCoy bet that they'd got their heads out of their asses before Kirk did but that didn't really say much. Neither Sulu nor Chekov had actually died. Uhura said that it was probably just a natural progression that they'd been building up to since the day they'd met. Half the crew probably agreed with her. Body language just seemed like one of the thousand languages she was perfectly fluent in while everyone else tripped over the simplest translation.

It was simple really. Chekov and Sulu had always been close and affectionate and no one was surprised in the least when the turbo-lift opened up one day and they were sharing a quick, loving kiss before shift. It was much like Kirk and Spock; it was one of those things that had always been inevitable and that just made sense.

Kirk watched them and glanced up to se Uhura was looking between him and where his gaze was with a knowing look. Chekov and Sulu were sliding across the console on chairs Chekov had adapted one day out of boredom. They were working as one body, touching various buttons and fingers ghosting each other. But they never seemed to be invading the other's personal space or interfering with their work. On the contrary it seemed to be making them more efficient as they made a game or a dance out of their usual routine.

As Sulu slid over to Chekov and moved him out of the way with an arm around his waist to reach a button on his console, Kirk just shook his head at their antics. Chekov scowled at Sulu until he was mollified with a peck to the cheek and laughed before shoving Sulu back over to where he belonged.

Kirk almost laughed too, but he stopped himself. If this was the entertainment they were going to be privy to for the remainder of their voyage then at least it was the adorable and loving variety.

And sometimes they could all use a little adorable in their family.

2\. It was a standard part of their routine by now. Voyage on until they came to a planet of unknown relations; scope it out for threat, safety and science before sending a landing party down. Sometimes they'd send down a few people for initial contact before allowing the rest of their crew to visit in exploration shifts. Those were usually the best bits of the mission – the reason that many of the crew had signed on. The chance to explore foreign soil, wander among fauna and flora of unknown origin they had yet to chart, set up relations with new races that had never met, or even heard of the Starship Enterprise and her crew.

They'd gone for several weeks (Spock estimated it had been 4.63) with nothing but stars and the unchartered cosmos. It had been peaceful and they'd entered a time of blissful peace on board. A new planetary body showed up on their scanners about a week before they reached it. It was smaller than Taurus IV but had a similar structure and body make up. The biggest difference seemed to be that the new planet had a warmer climate.

Kirk went down first with Spock and Uhura in tow for initial assessment. Spock squeezed Kirk's hand once just before they beamed down. He'd gotten into the habit of it lately but wasn't entirely sure why he'd started it or what purpose it served. Kirk seemed to like the reassurance so he persisted.

Scotty beamed them down and they landed in a lush forest of pink trees with lilac and violet ivy growing around the trunks. Uhura's eyes widened in joy at the beauty of the place and Spock allowed himself to smile as Jim flopped down on the lish grass and let out a sigh of contentment.

They soon meet with the natives who came creeping in like timid beasts and were soon discovered to be shy, unassuming people who were only too happy to receive them.

The crew of the Enterprise came out in groups, always leaving enough senior officers and crew members to maintain the ships and to save themselves form overwhelming the natives with their numbers.

Kirk was back on board but Spock was still exploring, collecting data and plant samples to categorise the planet with. He wandered along the thick trees, occasionally stopping to scrap some sap from one of the trees into a small tube or cutting a weed sample that grew in force at the base of some of the thicker specimen.

It was simple work that allowed Spock to drift and not use 100% of his brain capacity (he calculated that the task only required 44.7% working brain functions). He felt content, allowing the emotional pull of simple happiness to melt away any stress he hadn't realised he'd been carrying. The sun was warm on his face but did not create discomfort. The path was soft underfoot and seemed to be free of hidden stones and rocks. He almost wished that his husband was beside him if not for the foolishness of wishing and the logical reasoning that he could not have Kirk with him at all times. Besides, they had already walked together under the canopy of the pink umbrella that filtered the sun until it shone softly and highlighted the golden colour of Kirk's hair. It had been a nice, romantic walk under the pretence of work with their fingers brushing against each other's the whole time.

Spock was roused from his memory by soft, awed voices. He looked up to see that he had not been the only couple to take advantage of the beautiful, foreign land for the purpose of romantic downtime. Sulu and Chekov were slowly walking through the clearing; Sulu half-dragging Chekov with him as the younger man seemed to be dawdling with a happy smile and wide eyes. They were whispering excitedly, but quietly, as though the spell would be broken if they were too noisy.

Every time one of them (usually Chekov) got too excited that he stopped to point at a fluttering flower with wide petals and thin stripes in bright whites and yellows, with the attitude of a young child around presents, the other would smile fondly and wait by their side for them to calm down. Sulu, when he was the one to stop first, rolled his shoulders back, grabbed his boyfriend's hand again and continued to meander. Chekov had looked sheepish and started to apologise for slowing them down before Sulu kissed him on his cheek and reminded him that they were in no hurry before he laced their fingers together again and they continued strolling.

Spock was surveying a tree near to where they had stopped to look at the aforementioned flowers. Chekov was talking animatedly, their own personal rule about being quiet forgotten as he gestured and occasionally lapsed from Standard to Russian as he often did when he went off on a tangent. Sulu had decided to sit down on the grass and was weaving grass blades into a crown. At some point in his rant, Chekov had cut himself off mid-sentence and had sat down next to Sulu before he resumed his rant and a much softer decibel. He picked up the completed halo from Sulu's lap and started intertwining some smaller flowers that were growing nearby. Sulu simply began making another crown; the blades of grass pleated together with skill and precision that Spock should have expected from his helmsman.

Once both crowns were completed they placed them on each other's heads; a halo of lush green and white against black and a circlet of pinker flowers flopping over curls. They curled up next to each other and simply lay down basking in the sun dancing above them. From where he was Spock could see that their fingers were tangled together and their bodies almost seemed to fit around each other.

Spock moved on until they were entirely alone in the clearing and hinted to Uhura when he passed her that they should perhaps encourage others to explore other regions of the woodland expanse.

She smiled at him and they lead the others away, leaving the two wrapped up in their own cocoon of love and flowers.

3\. The Enterprise was purring, a gently thrum beneath Scotty's fingers. Uhura may speak more fragments of more languages than everyone else on board combined but no one spoke the language of the Enterprise better than Scotty. She was a monstrous beast, tamed beneath his hands. She was a gentle cat that curled up closer and purred from deep within her chest whenever she was given the attention she craved.

Down in the engine room Scotty could tinker about, see if she was happy and healthy, and see if she wanted to try some new improvement. It was nice being able to devote so much time to her care and upkeep. Sometimes it was called on to put more pressure on her than Scotty would like but he did it out of necessity. It was afterwards, when they were no longer charging or fleeing that Scotty could apologise to the old girl and let her relax a bit.

That was always the nice bit. The days when they could just drift steadily through space and Scotty could let her recovered with no haste or hurry. It was the kind of undulated calm that everyone enjoyed on a day to day basis. Not all of them were cut out for, or had even signed up for, intergalactic space battles, although it did seem to be a present part of life on the Enterprise; especially under Kirk's command.

Not that Scotty could fault Kirk, he always did everything he could and have everything he had to get them all home. He just seemed to be a trouble magnet.

Today was a quiet day, work wise. Chekov was down in the engine room, foregoing extra sleep to come and tinker with the heart of the ship. Scotty could understand the want to be down in the noisy engines despite the appeal of a cosy bed. There was more life and noise and function and it never seemed to stop. There were engineers bustling about, racing from one end to the other to get a specific wrench or return the wrong spanner before they raced each other back with hollers of excitement. The engineers and technicians on board worked hard out of love and devotion to their jobs and Scotty didn't mind of they wanted to be a little rambunctious and loud. So long as they listened to him when he gave orders and instructions and didn't break anything, they were good.

Chekov was nattering away in the background, a long ramble of physics and ideas and innovation. Scotty could just about follow the train of thought without paying any more attention to it than what he currently was. It was a nice background noise and Scotty would sometimes pick up on something interesting that he would later implement much to the joy of Chekov.

They had been working steadily for so many hours that Scotty didn't know if lunch had even arrived yet or if it had come and gone completely. They'd been working in the zone for so long that time had ceased to exist outside of their bubble. It was nice and productive and Scotty welcomed it. He turned to Chekov to see if the Ensign was hungry when he caught a flash of yellow in his peripheral and turned to see (as he rightly assumed) Sulu shaking his head and gesturing at him to be quiet.

Scotty sighed in defeat that their couple-y antics had reached his engines and made a mental note to figure out how to make haggis for Uhura. She'd been pestering him about wanting to try it and he had to admit that it had been some time since he'd had such a traditional dish from home; which often seemed so far away and yet at others it seemed like he was already there.

He watched Sulu sneak up behind Chekov and snake an arm around his waist and the look on the Lieutenant's face when he did so spoke volumes about where his home was. Chekov startled for a fleeting moment before he relaxed and mumbled something in Russian as he let his arms fall to his sides.

Sulu, the complete suck up, had brought enough lunch for all three of them so Scotty gladly welcomed the boy's intrusion to their technical haven. They sat on the nearest worktop, thighs touching as they nibbled and nattered away and Scotty sat on the workstation chair and tucked into his own lunch. It was companionable, the three of them eating, and all of it was so easy that Scotty didn't fear becoming an awkward third wheel half way through the break.

Once they'd finished their sandwiches Sulu hopped off the table and stood in front of Chekov with his back towards him and his arms open. Chekov laughed, warm and bubbly before he climbed on his boyfriend's back and wrapped his arms around him. Scotty laughed at their tender uniqueness as they raced between the engines, spires and staircases. They were both laughing and to the entertainment of all of who witnessed it, Chekov spread his arms and the pair made plane noises as Sulu ran them round the place.

When they got back Chekov slid off Sulu's back and they shared a quick kiss before Sulu went back to the bridge with a reminder to Chekov to sleep and eat before he was next due up there. As Chekov promised and went back to work with a happy smile, Scotty made a promise to find out how to get some haggis and some of Uhura's favourite flowers for the next weekend shift when they were both off.

4\. Leonard McCoy suffered no fools but it seemed that it was always the fools that were suffering if the state of his med bay was anything to go by. It was always the senior crew, the ones that should know better that were being traipsed back and forth with a worried love sick fool at their heel asking him questions he didn't yet have answers to because he couldn't run his damn tests because those fools were still asking questions, dammit.

If Kirk did what he usually did and got beaten up on an away mission then McCoy had to deal with a hovering hobgoblin who knew that logically Kirk would be alright but stayed because he thought it emotionally sound. Which was all very well and good until the doctor had to shepherd the bloody Vulcan out of his med bay with threats to ban him if he didn't get up to the bridge because the bridge couldn't be without both of its senior officers because one of them was a self-sacrificing idiot. Although, in the Vulcan's defence, he'd had to do the exact same thing to Kirk on the rarer occasion that Spock was the one that was admitted.

When Scotty did some weird thing in the engines which landed him in quarantine for the week as his systems expelled the toxins, Uhura was the first one to berate him for being so stupid. Although her head was clear and her words strong, her lip was raw from where she'd worried it and she was first to hug him when he got out, despite the fact that the final tests hadn't been done yet.

Scotty was worse when Uhura came in limp and bloody after a confrontation with Klingons had gone wrong. He came running in when he heard, looking greyer and more ill than McCoy had ever seen him, and he continued to look distraught after McCoy assured him that she'd make a full recovery within weeks. Scotty refused to leave her side the entire time she was asleep in case she woke up alone despite the fact that there were always nurses and doctors in the med bay. McCoy ended up bringing Scotty meals to ensure that he ate despite the fact that food delivery was not in his job description. Scotty cried when she woke up four days after she was brought in and McCoy gave a sigh of relief that at least Scotty may listen to him and calm down.

He hadn't been that bad when Carol had the scare pregnancy but that was because he is a medical professional and knew she would be just fine. And although it had been a scare they'd started talking. Now Kirk smirked at him in hallways whenever he reminded his captain of his frequent trips to the med bay and the Vulcan he dragged with him and said with a lazy smile that McCoy would be just like that if not worse if Carol did get pregnant. Kirk laughed at the way it was laughed off but McCoy knew he was protective and could worry almost as much as Kirk or Spock.

No one was worse than Chekov or Sulu. Although their visits to the med bay were less serious, bloody or frequent that everyone else, it seemed impossible to get one without the other. As far as McCoy could see they weren't actually joined at the hip so they should be able to come down for their own routine check-ups by themselves. For most of the time he just asked questions and ran a couple of tests that they shouldn't be able to feel so it wasn't serious or horrific or anything of the sort. Yet even if the one who wasn't supposed to be there sat in silence the entire time he still never left.

McCoy had at one time thought about scheduling them so they both had their medical check-ups at the same time but he ultimately decided that he didn't want to spend double the amount of time necessary with those co-dependent love-struck idiots. He had even thought about doing their check-ups at the exact same time but again it seemed like a bit of a logistical hassle.

He knew that they could be on separate shifts, although it was said that the bridge wasn't as bright when this happened; they could eat apart, sleep apart if necessary and could split up so only one of them remained on the Enterprise at a time. Yet for some unknown reason they couldn't eve come and get a standard check-up without coming in a pair.

McCoy had considered asking them about their medical co-dependence to see if it was an issue, but, watching them sit on the same bed, Chekov's head nestled on Sulu's shoulder, the doctor decided that it didn't really matter. If he was subjected to their overwhelming adorableness for a little bit at a time then at least he could be thankful that he wasn't privy to it on a daily basis like some unlucky (lucky) fools on board.

5\. The sun was shining, warm and welcoming, when they came home. They were exhausted; it had been a long and eventful five years and they were all entitled to be bone deep tired. They greeted the familiar sight of home with sleepy smiles. The Colonel they met with could tell they were eager to get home (although their beds there would be more foreign than anything, even if it was their own bed) and sent them away after a five minute debrief with longer meetings planned for the next day.

They moved in pairs, the eight of them having a special cabin designated for them all at the moment and they went there gratefully. Kirk and Spock seemed mostly okay although Kirk kept blinking his eyes open and was holding Spock's hand. McCoy had his infant son wrapped in his arms and his new wife tucked into his side. Put-together, collected Uhura was minutes away from falling asleep with her head in Scotty's lap (for now she was just resting on his shoulder). Chekov was already curled up, Sulu carding his fingers through his curls as he stifled his own yawn against his shoulder. They were still together, they were home safe after so long. Kirk caught Spock staring at him and lifted their hands to kiss Spock's. They were home.

They somehow all managed to get into the cabin without too much bother. Chekov was murmuring slightly in Sulu's arms because the helmsman knew more than most how much of an angry kitten Chekov became if he was woken up prematurely. They said sleepy goodbyes before they moved to claim rooms, not caring if Scotty and Uhura somehow ended up with the biggest room or that Kirk and Spock had a bassinet in the corner of theirs. They were too tired to do anything else but sleep at the moment so they slipped away and slept away the pain, fear, failure and heartache they'd been carrying for the past five years in space.

When they woke, all within an hour or so, they had breakfast (for they'd slept all through the rest of the day and the night) and relaxed slightly now they knew they were all here, together, on Earth, having breakfast. Scotty made scrambled eggs the way he knew Uhura loved and, as it turned out, Carol did too; to the extent that she joked over leaving the doctor for the engineer. Uhura retaliated by stealing Carol's eggs until she admitted that McCoy made better brownies and he grumbled about his bakery talents being revealed. It was good natured and friendly and so comfortable that they all loved and continued eating as though they were afforded this domestic lifestyle on a daily basis. Spock showed up in plaid pyjama bottoms and Uhura had a giggle at how human he looked. Sulu and Chekov were the last to show up. Sulu was the more energetic and happy one and was dragging a bedraggled Chekov with him. They both had on thick jumpers, Chekov obviously wearing Sulu's Academy one. He sat down at the table while Sulu made him a cappuccino and cut up some fruit for him before he made his own breakfast. Carol smiled at them before she took her baby back from McCoy so he could eat.

'Even in the company of three couples who were very much in love and an actual baby, Sulu doting on a sleepy Chekov was still the cutest thing they were going to see all morning,' Uhura decided. She nudged Sulu with her hip to convey this to him when she went to get more coffee. Sulu just blushed lightly and took his own food over to the seat next to Chekov. She wasn't sure if Sulu even realised that he put his plate closer to Chekov than himself and that he seemed to smile wider after Chekov had traded some of his fruit for the food on Sulu's plate.

Later on, after they'd all fed and watered and had taken a long walk on familiar soil, they went in for their meetings, taking turns to hold Baby McCoy (for he would always be known as that after a year of being called that) when his parents were called in.

Baby was sitting in Chekov's lap and he had been kissing each of the baby's cheeks in turn to the enjoyment of the infant when he suddenly took an interest in Chekov's curls and was offered one of Sulu's fingers instead as a less painful substitute. Chekov smiled gratefully at his boyfriend for sparing his hair of the torture and Sulu just kissed his cheek before they simultaneously turned their attention back to the cooing baby.

Uhura looked at the three of them, lost in their in own little world, and wondered if there was a cuter sight than the Enterprise's undisputed, unanimously voted most adorable couple all wide eyed over a giggling baby. She wondered if they weren't all ready to settle down, set up a home base and go on less strenuous missions. She knew Kirk was broody and Spock loved the idea of a family, as did Scotty. They were a family, the eight of them, so happily entwined in each other's lives. But Baby McCoy had proven that was love enough in their little family for a few little additions.

At some point McCoy had come out of his debrief, not expecting to have to fight to get his son back. He smiled wryly at the pair and went off to get a drink so he'd have the strength to deal with more dumb children (other than his own. He loved his own children; it was just the other, more adult ones he couldn't deal with).

When Chekov's meeting was called, Uhura took baby McCoy from him as they went off to the meeting together as though it hadn't occurred to either of them that they wouldn't be together for even a minute.

Secretly Uhura (and Kirk when they were both drunk enough to admit it) were jealous of the pair and how they seemed to have gone for more than five years (was it closer to seven now? Or was it eight?) without being anything less than completely devoted to each other. Somehow (and although she knows a great deal many things she doesn't know this) the baby of their crew, a tiny Russian runt of seventeen with wide eyes and ideas stretching even wider and their unassuming pilot who saved all of their lives on the first day by making a simple mistake had become the most coveted and idealistic couple that had been together for longer than anyone else, actual anniversaries be damned. It fit them all somehow, all of them defying stereotypes and the ideas of the universe to create a safe haven, a loving family in a world class ship that was one of the greatest of their kind and a jumbled crew that had bonded together due to adversity.

As she rocked the baby in her arms and thought of all they'd been through she realised how crucial they'd all been in her life to keep her so calm and collected. Spock, who led her to the ship that gave her her family after he had caved to the logic of her demands. Protective Kirk who would, and had, died for them. Steadfast Scotty that could cheer her up when she didn't know she needed it. McCoy who seemed as level headed as her yet just as likely to fly off the handle. Carol who could have chosen any friend she had yet had asked Uhura to be the godmother of her baby. Sweet Sulu and cute Chekov who had made everyone smile for five straight years with their adorable antics. She smiled at the thought of her family. Of their own special family they had chosen together.

\+ 1. It'd been a busy day preparing for the launch. They'd all come along, with the exception of Carol who had opted to stay at home with the baby. At one point there was a suggestion floating around that Sulu could go and be Captain on a different ship with Scotty relocated to a third, but one glare from Kirk and no one dared to even think about breaking up his family again.

It was a much shorter mission, a month or so if no major incidents occurred during that time. They were all excited to be back in their true home. Kirk sat back down in the captain's chair like he had never left. Spock had a chess set ready for him and his captain before the ship left the planet. Scotty felt the purr of the engines welcoming him and smiled. McCoy set up his medical office with new pictures of Carol and Baby in the gardens around Starfleet, looking relaxed and happy. Uhura put her head phones on and her game face on and let the gentle thrum of the Enterprise guide her back to her happy place. Sulu and Chekov sat in their respected seats and immediately began planning on upgrading their chairs back to how they had done so before so that they could slide across to each other. They were home and they were ready for anything.

They were safely out now and the shifts had changed so they could get some rest after a busy first day. They were all in good spirits as it was the first day of their voyage and they were excited to get back out there and revisit some of the planets they had made relations with on their previous mission.

Sulu and Chekov were laying in their bed, lazily talking as they waited for the lull of sleep to wash over them. Chekov was still small enough to fit in Sulu's arms, despite the fact that he was no longer the small seventeen year-old he had been on his first day. He listened to the noise of the engines that he knew so well he could hear in his head even if he couldn't technically hear them that loudly from their room and nestled into Sulu, sighing contentedly. He knew that their life wasn't always lay days in bed; weaving flower crowns from unknown plants; messing about on the bridge; stealing kisses in the turbolift before shifts; and having family dinners together. He knew that their job was difficult and sometimes life was strenuous. Sometimes they were running for their lives or trying not to abandon each other on hostile planets and being scared to make the tiniest mistake in case it ended up in death. He knew there were days when Spock and Kirk barely slept, or saw each other; that there were days when Scotty and Uhura had a huge fight over the tiniest thing due to mounting stress; that there were days when Carol was unable to move due to labour pains racking her body and McCoy had been more snippy because he couldn't be with her. He knew there were days when Sulu spoke more to his plants than to him. He knew there were days when he himself spoke more in mathematical formulas and Russian rather than Standard which Sulu would have more hope of understanding. He knew their life was tough. But he was so grateful for it.

To have Sulu wrap his strong arms around him, making him feel safe and at home no matter what danger they'd just escaped from or how far they were from Earth.

"Mmm, Pasha, you think too loud," Sulu murmured against his head after placing a sleepy kiss there. "What are you thinking of now?"

"I vas thinking that maybe everyone vas right about us," Chekov said, his eyes shining in the dark.

"How so?"

"Did you know zat there vas a vote about couples two years ago?"

"A vote about what?"

"Who ze cutest couple vas."

"Mmm. Who was it?"

"Us."

"So your point is? You don't approve or you simply wanted to tell me?"

"I believe zey were right. We are a bit too co-dependent and involved at times."

"And have you, I, or anyone else every complained, sweetheart?"

"No, zey did not."

"So maybe we are the cutest couple. I blame you and your adorable face for spurring me on."

"Hey! It is not my fault 'Karu"

"It totally is."

"Mmm, no it is not," Chekov yawned as he curled in closer. "It is you and your beautiful face and warm laugh when you win at fencing or zee plant development or when you get excited about something else you love."

"Like you."

Chekov returned the smile. "Like me."

They kissed, simple and sleepy and full of so much tenderness. "Now I see what they were all on about."

"Exactly!"

"Pasha, sweetheart, marry me?" Sulu mumbled, as though he was already half-asleep again.

"Da," was the whispered reply in return before they feel asleep, warm and cosy together.


End file.
